The manufacturing industry is a driving force for the world’s economy. It relies on machinery and qualified workers who can operate the various types of machinery to produce needed products. While the machinery does most of the work, trained workers are necessary to operate, program and set up, the machines safely and efficiently. Finding trained workers in 2016 is a challenge though, as many people do not realize that working in the manufacturing industry, operating machinery such as CNC machines is an option to their future and success.
The lack of people who have the ability to work on CNC machining and to operate these machines is one of the greatest challenges the manufacturing industry currently faces. While many people like working on cars and build models as either a hobby or a choice, they don’t realize that there is a whole industry out there where they could have a career, if they wanted. People think that there only option to be successful, professionally and financially, is to get a desk job in an office. With the right guidance and education though, they could put the skills they already have working on cars and building models, and understanding how to use a desktop computer, and transfer these skills to a job in the manufacturing industry getting acquainted with CNC equipment. This is why STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is so important because it will help people gain the skills they need, or already have, to be successful in the manufacturing industry.
In the past children did the same job that their parents/fathers did before them. This was what was expected of them, but now the business landscape has changed. The job market and job opportunities are different than they were during the baby boomer era. Here at Mid-West Screw Products we are always looking for hard working people to help us achieve our goal of making sure our customers always receive uncompromised perfection in all their machined parts. We want people to know there is a whole industry looking for people to work hard using their skills on these machines. They might already have the beginning skills necessary to be successful without even know it.
As a company, we realize that there are thousands of veterans who have learned skills in the military. When they return home they look for a future in society. Some wondering where they fit. As an owner I see in a veteran a very well rounded person who has the discipline to carry out the requirements for what is needed to be done and does it. Not only will he or she do the request, but also they can be counted on, by their supervisor, to do that task extremely well.
If you’re a veteran and want to try a new beginning or continue on with the training the military started, then contact us and apply. One never knows where their future lies.
Visit our web site: www.M-WSP.Com
As the world changes, the way people do business is changing as well. The way some people think something is or should be done is different than other people’s view. This is the case with things like ISO, packaging and delivery, and the metal market.
At Mid-West Screw Products we are ISO certified. There is a lot of discretion in what people think being ISO certified means. We are certified to do things a certain way, which might be different than what your interpretation of that is. We follow ISO faithfully, and will not take shortcuts to match what another company or person thinks ISO is. Mid-West Screw strives to keep our customers happy, and we swill stay true to our ISO principles and ethics to do it.
Packaging is another area where there can be some confusion between companies. There needs to be a lot of discussion today due to the one sidedness of contracts. Small companies are dealing with big ones, and there can be confusion over customer contracts vs purchase orders. The back of purchase orders have standard terms, which might not meet every situation and can lead to hidden costs and expenses that both sides were not clear on from the beginning.
The metal market is another area where there can be confusion over prices and terms. Buyers see a price on the metal market (CROMX) and think that this price is what they / we are going to pay for that alloy. The Market is trading futures on various metals, for example copper ore. They leave out the additional charges such as fabrication when you put these two items together, the ore cost added to the fabrication / labor cost, metals we purchase, as in sheet, bar or coil, are the result of these two thing coming together. At this point we are still not at the price we will be paying from a mill or their distributer. There are also other margins from the companies as well, such as surcharges on shipping and trucking. Hidden costs such as fuel surcharges, EPA surcharges and weight surcharges are not disclosed many times in the initial conversation and contract, which can lead to confusion down the line.
At Mid-West Screw Products we believe in uncompromised perfection in all of the machined parts we make. Our goal has always been total customer service and satisfaction, and it will continue to be even as the business landscape changes.
Going back over 20 years, long before ISO became the norm, we were ISO qualified. Due to the prohibitively high cost we did not become certified right away. Instead we worked with a local university to educate us and help us meet the ISO standards. For many years we said we were ISO qualified, but as years went on and it became more prevalent in the industry, we decided to become officially certified. Luckily for us, due to the popularity and over saturation of the certification, the price dropped and allowed us to proceed to get our ISO Certification.
Mid-West Screw is a vendor, so we work with a lot of larger corporations. Many of which became ISO certified after we did. We pride ourselves on being ISO, we know that from beginning to end, our classifications and system is up to the test. Many of the larger companies we work with are ISO certified, but typically not ISO qualified. Yes, they have the certification, but they do not operate their plants like they know the true meaning of ISO. We find the larger the company we deal with and the more personal they have, the true meaning of ISO is not explained throughout their employees.
These corporations have demanded that we be ISO certified; yet do not adhere to the same principals. The ISO audits are meant to catch these failings and yet some companies go on unimpeded. While we follow ISO religiously, we are sometimes berated by these companies that are not following it properly as they should, themselves. This puts us in an awkward position of either staying true to our principles or making our customer disgruntled by showing the issues that they have overlooked, as in failed to comply themselves.
Many times customers may give us verbal orders, but as many are aware, verbal orders don’t fly at all when it comes to ISO. We need their purchase order, so everything is in line with our ISO system. We will then find ourselves in hot water when the order doesn’t go out when we have no record, other than a verbal order, to go on. Without a purchase order, we couldn’t be sure if we are doing their work correctly and effectively. Those who work at ISO Certified company’s should know better then to think they can call in an order. THEY CANNOT! We have a saying at Mid-West, AVO, Avoid Verbal Orders!
It is up to the customer to know when they need to place a new order due to their low stock. We take the blame because someone on their end was not keeping up with their system. Our system should be able to run independently of our customers. But because their system is broken, and because they don’t take their ISO situation seriously, we find it hard to keep our system in line with their own traceability, and as accountable as they would like. ISO systems are not put in place to check other systems as in our customers. ISO programs were created to variety and to assure your system is in place and working properly to assure internal traceability.
Please comment below if you are having a similar problem. We know this is not a unique problem and we want to hear from you!
The Oil and Gas industry continues to make profits by confusing us with the production of fuel. Take for example seasonal gasolines. They don’t explain what this is exactly. The country, as a whole, does not need seasonal grades. There must be a generic available. Of course, as consumers, we’re never really sure which gas we are getting, there is no notice when it changes at the pumps, it’s not color coded for us! As much as I hate to say it, the answer is, “Profit through confusion” and we are the ones confused.
Some of the higher fuel prices we are paying are coming when the price per barrel are at its lowest. There is a huge disparity between the price of the barrel and the price at the pump. What is the reason for this? Fuel surcharges! Shipping companies love to gravitate to the surcharge as reasons for rising prices; by setting their own shipping rates.
The EPA has placed surcharges on oil products that need to be removed by EPA contractors. By being green, there are those who charge us $3 per invoice for the used products that they disposed of. No matter if it’s paper towels or rags, we are charged for having it cleaned up and taken way. We are tied into it and are being forced to follow certain rules when it comes to fuel, well as other disposal items. This of course becomes the cost of doing business, and is the cause of product prices being inflated. We don’t see the value in it. We would clean it the same way that the EPA contractors would, but we are charged extra to have it completed by them. These surcharges may be small on an invoice to invoice basis, but when the orders rise into the thousands, it becomes very costly to do business. I believe in being green, however we can recycle our own used products, by investing in equipment, out there that removes the bad and we get to keep the good. We have and it is working. Then what is left as the disposable by products becomes minimal in the big picture.
We’ve been stopped in our tracks from charging the fuel surcharge, most companies will not allow this addition to our invoices. Yet, we get charged by other large companies for the same things. The EPA is involved at the pump and at what is going on in our plants. We often read about these companies that we have to hire to clean up our oil, and when they dump it illegally, not only are they fined, but we, their customers, are also fined. We have no idea or control where this oil or disposable products go or how it is handles once it leaves our facility, but we are still on the hook for their abuse.
We are obligated to provide our certifications to our customers, yet we hardly receive any certifications from these EPA contractors. When we do receive a certification from them, it is merely a piece of paper and we have no way of knowing if they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.
We are very happy to be ISO certified, but we must admit that ISO is really unique. Auditors are hired to review your plant’s processes and to understand the ISO process itself so it can be implemented, properly. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, but these auditors most likely do not know your business. This is not to put them down, as they are good at what they do, but it is difficult to understand the complexity of an organization and your facility, when they are only there, in the big picture of your existence, a short period of time, to monitor it. No one manufacturer is the same and no one method works best for everyone.
The trick then, is to find an educator and then an auditor, in some cases they can be both, who is familiar with the real and true process of becoming an ISO manufacturer. We decided, in the beginning, 20 years ago, to be trained in proper ISO techniques and looked to a local university for one on one classroom training. This was held in out facility over a two-year period. Since then, we were only qualified for ISO, but did not have the actual certification due to how expensive the entire process is to be audited. Eventually we found grants available to help cover those costs and we highly recommend finding grants for your area. We finally found an auditor that we really liked after years of investigation. You have to trust your auditor. You’ll know when, he or she makes sense, to you, of the ISO Standards. When they explain and you are comfortable with the reasons and explanations of the ISO requirements in your own shop or plant, then it becomes much easer and so much less confusing..
Once we learned the ins-and-outs of ISO, we knew we had to keep every process taught like a string. We knew we had to keep very concise records and keep it all in order. Luckily we used computers for this, so it was much more eco-friendly than other companies that may use pen and paper. The idea here is to have accountability. You want to be able to show prospective customers that you not only have the certification, but that you are keeping up with it.
You need to perform self-audits to make sure you are keeping up with everything. But it is also important to perform external audits to see if you have been a good vendor. Customers, more than auditors, will really tell you if you’re living up to expectations. If your auditor is up to the correct challenge, he or she will put out to your customers, not all, lets say ten, a survey about your firm. Not by happenstance that they will hopefully return the survey, but the auditor will take the initiative to call them and do the survey over the phone. Then the auditor will grade you. If your standards are within the acceptable range of ISO requirements, you pass. Now you get recertified and continue with doing the best job of traceability you can, until next year when you get audited again.
In addition to being ISO certified, we are also ARM 9009:2013 certified. We were able to obtain this certification because we were already meeting all of the specifications of ISO. We can make components that can be used for military purposes and that allowed us to get government contracts. It is very important to build a repertoire of certifications to further grow your business.
When it comes to college, the classes you take aren’t necessarily that important in a CNC world, unless, of course, you plan on being in business one day for yourself. You need to consider all of your options, thinking through your future or your new place in the employment world. For some, interested in CNC, the opportunity of classes, in a college, isn’t always out there. Although, there are some colleges with Tec departments. So what do you do? If you’re interested in computers and programming, have a mechanical mind, can do simple math trig and geometry, but don’t like sitting behind a desk, manufacturing may be a career for you. The opportunity of becoming a CNC programmer is out there to be had. It is a well sought after profession. One that is understaffed and companies are looking to hire. You will need a Tec School or even a machinery dealer that holds programing classes. You may be lucky enough to find an employer who is willing to train you.
The fact that you have a college education doesn’t always come into play, in the CNC world. Being overly educated isn’t as important as common sense. When it comes to manufacturing, you don’t always do things by the book. Now, to be clear, we aren’t talking safety, as that needs to be followed to the T. But thinking outside of the box and realizing a better way to do something better is very important in manufacturing.
Being decent in math a big thing though, and by decent, we mean being able to help your own kids figure out how many apples Sara gave to George. If you can answer those kinds of questions, enjoy working on cars or even building models, you may be well suited for a career in the job shop industry.
Manufacturers are looking for people not only who are street-smart, but who are street-wise and enthusiastic. Younger people who understand the computer age and more importantly the mechanical aspects of it can learn things on the floor and go very far in the company. Being college educated and having high grades in math doesn’t tell us anything. The owners of many manufacturing company will put you through school, Mid-West included, which will help further your career.
People are working to build more things in the US and we need people. Now, we’re not saying not to go to college, but if it’s not for you, or if your folks can’t afford it, the machining industry may be the riugfht place for you.
Manufacturing in the United States is seemingly on the upswing. Of course it is not in all areas of manufacturing. Textiles and toy manufacturing has not fully returned to the United States and has stayed overseas in Asia. The United States’ resurgence has been seen in infrastructure, roads, electricity, concrete, steel, and mechanical parts. These areas are thriving because the infrastructure in the United States is aging and when many of these roads were built 100 years ago, they did not have the technology we have to day to make them last longer.
The United States is also seeing an influx in orders because it has become cheaper to build things here than it is to build them abroad. Even just a few years ago, it was cheaper to manufacture parts overseas, ship them, and pay the import taxes, but now as prices increase from overseas vendors, the United States is seeing a lucrative return to manufacturing.
The key to success in manufacturing in the United States is choosing the correct industry. Knowing that the infrastructure in this country is in dire need of repair, going into that industry would be sensible, however companies attempting to manufacture textiles that can compare in price to those from China will probably fall upon hard times. Even though American quality is unparalleled, it’s hard to fight on a level playing field when it comes to price. In order to further fuel the American manufacturing comeback, companies need to find something that needs to be turned around locally and quickly and together we can get this job done!
Being a manufacturer in Illinois is becoming increasingly difficult. Antagonism from the court systems in Cook County has caused many companies in Chicago to flee. This is not mere opinion; I was personally subjected to the Cook County judicial system, as were other businessmen. The system seems to believe that manufacturing plant owners are wealthy, so much so that I was even called ‘Mr. Money Bags’ in the courtroom.
After a two-year marriage, I fell victim to this ruthless court system. Every last dime was taken from me, personally, but luckily the family business was left unscathed; though that was not through lack of the judicial system’s efforts to try and destroy it, financially. The Cook County Courts attempted to take everything from me; all that I had worked for. Not all businesses are cash businesses. Many, like ours, are invoice-based. Business owners are paid weekly, as are their/our employees. The court system believed that all of the company’s money was used for my own personal use, even though they knew that I had partners, who were family. The opposing counsel fervently attempted to use the family business as a tool to make me surrender. They tried to manipulate me to fund their endeavors, by having the business go through a grueling appraisal process, at my expense. This, in turn, involved the rest of the family, who had nothing to do with the intricacies of my divorce case.
Unfortunately, when I had tried to bring this to the proper governing agencies (the JIB and the ARDC), I was told that there was nothing they could do. These judges and lawyers are not being held accountable and the governing system is letting this happen. These agencies that are supposed to police such malicious behavior are a part of the corruption. Throughout my divorce, my family and I wrote to both agencies more than once, as I obtained more evidence to support my claims. In the end, I never received any justice or answers, because the complaints filed were closed, without being thoroughly investigated.
Be careful if you find yourself in the Cook County Court System. They will break the laws they were sworn to defend. There is no concern for your circumstances, only for their desire to line their own pockets; even to the extent of being exposed. They have no fear. No one: the press, TV nor radio investigative reporters will take this story on to try and expose these ingrates, because who wants to deal with this deep seeded corruption? Because it was in a domestic court, cases like this are known to continually fly under the radar. If you report them to the proper authorities, to uphold the justice they found so easy to maneuver in their favor, those who police them look the other way; they will not eat their own. In my case, while my attorney was saying under his breath, in the judge’s chambers, “I cannot believe this is happening”, the opposing attorney leaned over and said to him, “That’s because you are not a part of the same tribe”. You can call it what you want to, but I believe that I was discriminated against by the two opposing attorneys, the discovery judge and the trial judge, collectively. Why? Because we fell victim, by not being connected to those who were.
Despite their attempts to use the family business for their own gain, the business remains resilient and unfaltering. We here at Midwest Screw Products, Inc. do business right. We will continue to strive for excellence and will always improve our equipment based on customers’ needs, quality control and shipping. Resulting from this divorce, I was forced out of retirement, and our clients were elated to have me back, not as President, because I gave that up when I retired, but as CEO, to continue our strong relationships. Being that I will turn 70 this month, I never thought that Cook County would want to destroy a family based business, which employs nearly 50 people and has contributed to the city and county tax base for over 69 years.
Always fight to maintain your businesses. It is definitely not only the economy that can take you and your business’s breath away. It is those who are allowed to unjustly manipulate the system in their favor, not caring who they are destroying in their wake. They do what they want to and can destroy you personally. When the opposing attorneys know they will be the winner no matter what, then you can never prevail. When a victim is chosen, the judge contributes to this injustice.
Don’t let the politicians fool you when they say they want your business to stay in Illinois, or that they want you to move your business back into the city. They just need more victims to prey on. If I had not met other businessmen who lost their businesses and/or eventually had to sell them, I would not be so convinced that this was just fun and games for the judges and the attorneys. They work through their connections within the system, to use businessmen as their means of making a living. If it wasn’t for researching those involved and finding other blogs like mine that had similar situations as I went through, I would have believed that I was the only one that this scandalous experience happened to. It was also very interesting to find that it was my discovery judge that had also done the same injustice to others in my situation.
At this point in time, this late in life, my personal financial losses needed to be recaptured by returning to work. However, when injustice is so rampant and one can be so easily destroyed, it is easy to believe that this can only happen if there are collaborative efforts by the judges and attorneys to ruin businessmen in the courtroom. No one would believe what goes on behind the scenes. Notwithstanding, I have the proof, that in the hands of the right people who are willing help get this information out on why businesses fail or leave Illinois, will have all the evidence needed to break the machine in this county and state.
Mid-West Screw Products is a big believer in having sophisticated inspection equipment that is just as up to date as your manufacturing equipment. This is an important step in making sure that you are putting out quality parts on time.
While this sophisticated equipment may be on the expensive side, you will end up saving money even though the older style inspection methods does a similar job, however with a lot more time and effort. It is important to recognize that when you are updating and replacing your inspection equipment that instead of occupying space with similar machines, you need to bring everything up to date, as much as possible, so that your work is precise. Don’t just meet your customer’s standards, excite them. midwest equipment
Our company is based around the satisfaction of all our customers. Choosing the right equipment should be beneficial for a wide range of customers. Finding the right sophistication has unique qualities to facilitate certain types of requests that are on-going and is extremely helpful when looking at quality from shop floor, right through your QC department.
Once your clients see that they are receiving quality products on time, you will be able to build on future businesses and gain new customers because you have gained new manufacturing techniques and time saving processes, throughout your facility.
We have recently purchased a new piece of equipment that can make various parts complete. At one time, it took four separate operations, the handling time and four setups have been cut. Though the process may seem longer, when you do the math and look at the number of machines you would have had to wait for, not to mention the delay you would face by getting those machines online to produce yet another operation, it becomes easier to see how a late delivery could be averted.
Keeping our customers happy is at the forefront of our business model and making sure that they are getting their parts on time and at a standard of quality beyond their expectations is the supreme nature of our company. Making sure that you have the proper machinery and inspection equipment to help you in that process will not only help you save time and money, it will also relieve some of that stress with being on time with your deliveries.
The old saying states that anything worth doing, is worth doing right. We couldn’t agree more here at Mid-West Screw Products. Especially when it comes to safety.
Keeping medical emergencies on the floor to the bare minimum is a team effort. Of course, your employees need to be trained properly on machines and best practices, but it should not be forgotten that as an owner or a manager it is also less expensive to provide the proper supply of safety equipment to your staff.
Every time there is an accident on the floor, your insurance company will increase your MOD score (which increases the costs that are associated with your company). Meaning, if you have a lot of accidents, it can be absolutely devastating to your bottom line.
For these reasons (and of course because we have grown quite fond of our employees) we provide ear protection, glasses, rubber gloves, prescription eye protection if needed and more. The cost of supplying these products is a fraction of the cost it would be if our MOD went up!
Naturally, you will need to see what your particular manufacturing needs are. Some places may need steel toed shoes, others may need aprons or any number of protective clothing or accessories. We suggest that whatever your needs are, you buy them for your employees so that you can take a breath and relax a little bit. The need to worry over safety and accidents is highly diminished if everyone’s safety needs are met and provided.
Instructional information on how to use your equipment will also help reduce injuries. For example, did you know that every person who steps foot on a Forklift truck needs to be properly licensed? Yes, indeed! So for example, if an owner may be staying late one night when a truck arrives, and he or she decides to get on the forklift and put the skid on the truck that owner better be licensed! If an accident were to occur without that proper license you can get in a lot of trouble. It is important to become aware and wise when it comes to safety. Otherwise you remain foolish and pay the consequences.
Safety is ALWAYS first. Sometimes as an owner or floor manager, you have to help your employees to be safe. Typically an employee may not buy the protection that they need but by supplying it, they will use it. And may we suggest that if they don’t like what you are supplying, then find out what they do like and offer those. To us, our employees’ protection is worth the cost.
